OneMoSalah

Lukaku injured. Havertz on. Mount, Kai, Werner up top lets see how it goes.

Also are we playing with inverted wingbacks at times? To get Timo and Mount more involved and with more space out wide? Like v Newcastle last season…

If Andreas can score then surely Rom and Timo will…

Werner man, good run, good approach by Lukaku, just feet all in a muddle…

Exactly. Its a collective issue. A massive one particularly compared to last season. I get we have the ability to see games out but we need to be proactive, not reactive, when recovering the ball. Second half v Spurs for instance we were much better in winning the ball back.

Exactly. Thats just a lazy way to look at it. We created more chances last season but lets not pretend it was all rosy and amazing football too, people quick to point out Lukaku’s impact on this team in a bad way but also forget whilst we created a lot of chances last season, it wasn’t exactly all great free flowing football, a lot of it was counter attacking moves and when we had to break down 10 behind the ball we still struggled. A lot. The biggest issues are the lack of penetration in midfield, the wingbacks and the two behind the CF for me. The wingbacks don’t get at their men. The midfielders barring Jorginho, don’t really play through the lines enough. The mixture of players we can play off the CF, who is consistent enough? Who is going to create chances every week? Who is capable of going and taking 1 or 2 players out of the game in dribbling situations in tight areas? I know Pulisic is fibreglass but his ability in 1 on 1’s is a huge miss for me.

We have been so hard to play against because we use a back 3, I can’t see us playing a back 4 anytime soon. Was the same conversation in the summer yet here we are, still playing a back 3.

Another flavour of the month/popular player in a purple patch. Lets see at the end of the season if he’s maintained his form and levels, until then easy to get overly excited by someone on a purple patch. Kounde was the same and now look at how hes done this season - consistency is key.

I am sure you said it would of been the same week of the take over multiple times…. but whatever makes you feel good or correct. I said not straight away - so technically they did take their time - and that he would probably manage v Spurs (which he did), didn’t expect another game. I mean if your really that bothered about being wrong and pointing it out after making that initial point the week of the takeover then you have issues 😂 Be interesting to see who they go for now.

He played as the deepest of the three, Kante and Kovacic flanked him on the right and left in the MF. I wonder if he played him there to use his height to try and stop the long balls directly into Toney? Maybe not but at the beginning I was a bit confused by the use of him there. Also, he did make a lot of tackles and ball wins to be honest which you don’t associate with him but he has to become a specialist or offer something consistently. He has now played as a winger, 10, 8, 6 and a CF throughout his career and nobody is sure yet where he is best. Concerning despite the snippets here and there that he is improving although again, he doesn’t offer any real end product or influence on the game of any sort. As @Jase said, I do think he is only here because nobody would sign him for his 1) wages and 2) potential transfer cost. I think Saul will eventually usurp him and feature a lot more in the next few months once he is accustomed to the system and the intensity, he is still a quality player.

I wouldn’t be so sure tbf. I think TT knows that Lukaku maybe needs a goal and Malmo are the sort of team he could grab a couple against with ease I would imagine. Hopefully we see 343 again though, we have played worse using 352 than 343 this season.

Every player can improve but asking someone who isn’t a target man to all of a sudden improve and become a target man isnt going to work. Hes said that himself re being a target man - its not his game and never has been. All in all he’s not the worst at using his body at times but he does need to work on things, as does the whole attack. He is pretty mobile for a big guy but he’s not really the sort of player you want drifting out on the left or right wing constantly when he’s here as the focal point surely? I think thats why this 352 has to go and the 343 has to come back, to play with two 10s/attacking midfielders to try and play in the pockets or a bit wider if needed.

Yeah but asking Rom to be like Didier is just not going to happen though. Is it?

Aye thats clear and he could have got at least one or two in the last four games but the whole teams lack of goals is much more concerning than just Lukaku’s right now. But everyone is quick to highlight Lukaku only and not the others too. Maybe there is going to be more adjustments still, no doubt he’s a fixed 9 compared to what we had last season but even if he scored 15/20 league goals we need more from the others 100%. Frankly, between the CBs and WBs in our team, they have scored 50% (8 of 16) of our PL goals this season. Then in midfield and attack, Lukaku has got 3, Werner 1, Kante 1, Kovacic 1, Havertz 1 and Pulisic 1. Its good to have lots of scorers obviously but no point having 10, 11, 12 people with 2 or 3 goals over the course of a season and not having that 2 or 3 who get 10-15 goals minimum. Particularly if your looking to try and push for leagues and trophies. This is the issue TT has. He has to get Lukaku and the others scoring goals, making assists, creating chances etc. It was the same last season with Mason, Werner and Kai too, there was promising signs but also not enough goals. You don’t win games on chances created, its on goals scored. So something was always going to have to give. Be it Lukaku starting in one of their places or those getting more goals.

One quality goal from Ndombele and then 2 bad bits of defending really. Shame they scored so early, just made it even more difficult for them.

But people have also argued he’s been less effective because he drops deep too often for England and for Spurs under Jose as opposed to being more of an actual number 9 and getting in the box also. Its tough but I think having Lukaku signed if gives us the options to play with a fixed 9. Or play with those 3 from last season but we still needed someone who is going to be able to score regularly and Lukaku will undoubtedly be the guy ahead of those others.

There was more fluidity with Havertz, Mount and Werner but also not enough goals as you’ve said which is why I think Tuchel and the club had to go and bring in a CF to improve this season. We didn’t see any signs in pre season that we would see an increase if proficiency in front of goal from Werner, Havertz, Mount or these other guys so the decision to buy a CF surely was one that was justified. I don’t think it would of mattered who it was say if it was Lewandowski, Haaland, Kane, Aguero or Lukaku, there would still be similar problems perhaps because who is the best 2 to play off our CF? To keep the fluidity we had, we probably would of had to go sign a more prolific number 10, second striker-esque player or maybe someone like Karim Benzema who is perhaps the only player who I think is capable of playing in that way and scoring a lot of goals. I don’t think there are many of this type of players about that could score 20+ a season and do everything else to the level we would expect. We have to find a way to get them in and be effective with Rom because undoubtedly he will be our top scorer if he plays regularly.

What an atmosphere by the looks of it at St James. That sort of atmosphere is going to be very intimidating for Spurs/other teams who go there. Even today, with Steve Bruce there despite several people trying to tell me he would of been sacked in the buyout thread before this game 😂 Would be cool if they got a result, compound Nuno’s miserable start even more.

Still concerned with his delivery. In fact, him and Azpi’s final ball was near shocking 99/100 times yesterday. As wingbacks, they need to do more in the final third in those crossing positions. Especially when we play 352 and they are going to be one of the most vital attacking threats in the team.

Was the argument last season not that we needed a number 9 to play with the likes of Werner particularly and also Mount/Havertz/Ziyech etc though? I remember on Werner especially it was always brought up that he played with a number 9 at Leipzig… I think it was actually a point you had made. The attackers are out of form/not productive enough though - all of them more or less. Still not overly convinced that its quite panic stations yet but need to see something from these players v Malmo, Norwich, Southampton, Newcastle in the next 2 weeks.

His endurance should be good already. He had a full pre season, no injuries, nothing. Not to forget hes 26 years old in January. Played 90 minutes today but I don’t think he really played the last 25/30. I was surprised he didn’t get subbed but suppose his height and also first half performance was his saving graces. Throw in Kovacic doing his best to make him look as if he wasn’t the worst player in MF (Kova was a brutal watch today).

True but again, we have seen with Costa upfront who was more of a penalty box player that this can work much much better, because of this I wouldn’t necessarily panic on the attack just yet. Not fully anyway. Lukaku will get his X amount of goals this season undoubtedly and we will win more games/points than last season but out of Werner, Pulisic, Havertz, Mount, Ziyech, it is concerning on who plays. We need to find the right 2 to play off him as he’s undoubtedly going to be the number 1 CF. That is clear. Regardless of if people think he’s the right man or not. Who is going to be the best players to combine with him? Who are going to contribute goals, assists, key passes regularly too? The front 2 of him and Timo doesn’t fill me with confidence. You could argue we have too many options in that positions and there are some who are very similar players bar Werner and I didn’t even mention CHO who is an attacker on paper.

Again did feel Christensen lead the defence very well moving to the middle from his normal side when Thiago is there but really felt Sarr was very strong in his duels and it didn’t phase him at all. Showed physicality, athleticism, technical attributes - after a loan spell at Porto where many thought he wouldn’t ever be good enough too. Maybe just difference of opinions and supposing how Christensen has been virtually faultless majority of the games under Tuchel, maybe its to be expected from AC now as much as anything this level of performance.

Yet neither are CFs which this team needed so its a pointless comparison. Both would of been excellent signings, Hakimi especially, but still still leave us short uptop because if there is one thing we have seen from Timo and Kai is they still aren’t fully dependable as strikers at a big club. Thought he would of done it sooner, he didn't play well at all. Issues in attack with not releasing it quick enough is one thing, his play today was also not good at all. Obviously perhaps its not going to happen overnight but shoehorning him and Werner together in a front 2 doesn’t look exactly brilliant yet either. Re subs RLC as well second half should have went, very concerning he still struggles after 60-65 minutes with the intensity of the PL. Did well first half too in phases bar not being progressive enough with distribution. Just like Kovacic but bit more physical.

Wtf did you watch!?!? out of the three he was probably the best, or was it just me no?